ML20042E764

Provides Info Re Interpretation of Bioassay Measurements to Assess Intakes of Radioactive Matls

ML20042E764
Person / Time
Site:	Grand Gulf
Issue date:	04/24/1990
From:	Dan Collins NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II)
To:	Cottle W SYSTEM ENERGY RESOURCES, INC.
References
IEIN-82-18, NUDOCS 9005030053
Download: ML20042E764 (3)

Text

6$l(L/Ql ApR 2 41990 -

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l Docket No. 50-416 l

L License No. NPF-29 System Energy Resources, Inc.

i ATTN: Mr. W. T. Cottle, Vice President Nuclear Operations P. O. Box 469 Port Gibson, MS 39150 Gentlemen:

SUBJECT:

INFORMATION REGARDING INTERPRETATION OF BI0 ASSAY MEASUREMENTS This is to provide you information regarding the interpretation of bioassay measurements to assess intakes of radioactive material.

Enclosed is an NRC f

memorandum which updates = a position taken in 'Information Notice 18

" Interpretation of Bioassay Measurements; Assessment of Intakes."

This NRC.

memorandum. specifies that assessment of individual intakes using bioassay data should be based on the best data and models available for that purpose rather than the models in place at the time the NRC regulations in 10 CFR Part 20 were implemented.

If you have any questions on the above, please give me a call. -

Sincerely, ORIGINAL StGb:M.BY DOUGLAS M. COLUNS Douglas M. Collins, Chief Emergency Preparedness and Radiological Protection Branch Division of Radiation' Safety-and Safeguards-1

Enclosure:

Memorandum dated March 14, 1990 l

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(Seepage 2) l b?bbb

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' System Energy Resources Inc.

2 cc w/ enc 1:

T. H. Cloninger, Vice President i

Nuclear Engineering and Support System Energy Resources,.Inc.

i P. O. Box 31995 Jackson, MS 39286_

I C. R.-Hutchinson, General Manager.

Grand' Gulf Nuclear Station System-Energy Resources, Inc.

P. O. Box 756 Port Gibson, MS 39150 J. G. Cesare, Director i

Nuclear Licensing System Energy Resources, Inc.

1 P. O. Box 469 Port Gibson, MS 39150 Mr. Ralph T. Lally Manager of Quality Assurance Entergy Services, Inc.

-P. O. Box 31995 Jackson, MS 39286 R. B. McGehee, Esq.

Wise, Carter, Child, and Caraway P. O. Box 651 3

Jackson, MS 39205 j

N. S. Reynolds. Esq.

Bishop. Cook, Purcell & Reynolds 1400 L Street, NW - 12th Floor Washington, D. C.

20005-3502 C. B. Hogg, Project Manager Bechtel Power Corporation P. O. Box 2166 Houston, TX -77252-2166 i

Alton B. Cobb, M.D.

State Health Office State Board of Health P. O. Box 1700 1

Jackson, MS 39205 (cc w/ enc 1 cont'd - see page 3)

• System Energy Resources.-Inc.-

3 i

6 (cc w/enci cont'd).

.The Honorable William J. Guste, Jr.

i Attorrey General Department of Justice State of Louisiana Baton Rouge, LA 70804-Office of the Governor State of Mississippi Jackson, MS-39201 Attorney General-Gartin Building Jackson, MS 39205 Jack McMillan, Director..

Division of Solid Waste Management l

Mississippi Department of Natural Resources P. 0.-Box 10385 Jackson, MS 39209 President Clairborne County Board of Supervisors Port Gibson, MS 39150 bec w/ encl:

L. Kintner, NRR Document Control Desk NRC Resident Inspector U.S. Nuclear Re991atory Commission Route 2, Box 399 i

Port Gibson, MS 39150 1R RSS RII:0,P J tter Fgantrell

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((.rm ag'o, UNITED STATES

',g NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 3

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March 14, 1990 hEh0RAliDUM FOR: Those on the Attached List FROM:

LeMuine J. Cunningham, Chief Radiation Protection Branch Division of Radiation Protection and Emergency Preparedness.

Office of Nuclear Reactor-Regulation

SUBJECT:

DRAFT NRC INFORMATION NOTICE, " INTERPRETATION OF B10 ASSAY MEASUREMENTS; ASSESSMENT OF INTAKE" In a July-13,1968 memorandum, I informec you that we had decided not to issue the enclosed draft information notice which had been prepared after resolution of NRC headquarters ord regional office comments on-earlier drafts.

(Note:

The technical contacts have been updated on the enclosed copy of the draft.)

A primary reason for this decision was that a regulatory guide endorsing the use-of NUREG/CR-4884, " Interpretation of Bioassay Measurements," was to have been issued within a few months and we intended to have that guide incorporate the message in the enclosed draft information notice concerning.the incorrect l

" position" in Information Notice No. 82-18. That regulatory guide has not been l

issued and, although the guide is still under development, we do not expect it to be issueo in the near future.

We have reconsidered issuing the encloseo draft notice; however, we again have decided not to do so primarily because the regulatory guide incorporating-the information is still planned and because the importance of the information con-tained in the enclosed draft is below the current threshold of importance suf-ficient to warrant issuance of an NRC information notice.

However, to make this information available to the public, we are placing a copy cf this memo-randum enclosure in the public document room. Therefore, you are free to trans-mit copies to licensees if you so desire.

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eN e J. Cunningha, Chief l

Rad ation Protection Branch Division of Radiation Protection and Emergency Preparedness Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosure:

Subject Information Notice CONTACT: John D. Buchanan, NRR 492-1097 mpf

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W1TED STATES

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- 1 haL NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 0FFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION WASHINGTON, D.C.

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June xx, 1988 NRC INTORMATION NOTICE NO. 88-XX:

INTERPRETATION OF B10 ASSAY MEASUREMENTS; ASSESSMENT OF INTAKES Addressees:

All nuclear power reactor facilities holding an operating license or a con-struction pemit, research and test reactors, fuel facilities, and Priority 1 #,

material licensees.

Background and

Purpose:

This information notice is intended to correct an NRC position in Infomation Notice 82-18 (Reference 1) that was in conflict with the NR9 staff position s

published in several regulatory guides. The NRC position in Infomation Notice 82-18 indicates tnat, for p'urposes of determining compliance with the 10 CFR Part 20 intake limits, only the methodology of the International Comission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 2 (Reference 2) can be used in assessing intakes of radioactive material using bioassay data. Another purpose of this 1988 information notice is to call attention to a comprehensive new manual prepared for the NRC that can be used to compute-intakes from both in vivo and in vitro bioassay measurements, " Interpretation of Bioassay Easurements? T1IUNIG/CR-4884).

It is expected that recipients will review the information in this information notice for applicability to their programs.

However, suggestions contained in this information notice do not constitute NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action or written response is required.

Discussion:

The NRC staff position with respect to bioassay is presented in NRC Regulatory Guides 8.9, 8.11, 8.20, 8.22, and 8.26. In general, the position is that assessment of individual intake using bloessay date should be based on the best l

data and models available for that purpose.

IE Information Notice 82-18, " Assessment of Intakes of Radioactive Material by Workers," issued in 1982, pointed out that the present NRC limits on intake are

'The NRC will based on ICRP Publication 2 and concluded with the NRC position:

continue to use the ICRP Publication 2 methodology in determining cospliance with 10 CFR 20 until the revision of 10 CFR 20 has been published as a final l

rule.'

DRAIT

DD R' IN 88-XX gMf June xx, 1988 Page 2 cf 3 The NRC staff now recognizes that this position in Information Notice 82-18 (1) is incorrect in taplying that only ICRP Publication 2 can be used for assessing bicassay data to determine compliance with 10 CFR Part 20 and (2) conflicts with the NRC staff position expressed in relevant regulatory gui des. Although ICRP Publication 2 provides the basis for current 10 CFR Part 20 limits on intake (based on-long term, chronic exposures), it does not always provide an adequate basis for assessing individual intake because it does not provide information on bo# content or excreta following single (acute) intake or information applicable to an individual differing from the This inadequacy is recognized in

' standard man" defined in ICRP Publication 2.

2CRT Publications 10 and 10A (References 3 and 4), which are endorsed in Regulatory Guide 8.9 and which are mentioned in Information Notice 82-18 as being used by the NRC to evaluate bioassay data to determine compliance with regulatory requirements.

The NRC staff became aware of the problem with the NRC postgion in Information Notice 82-18 as a result of reviews and discusrions during 'its draf t stage) g of a.draf t report, Interpretation of Bioassay 4easurements (Reference 5),

This prepared by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) under en NRC contract.

report (which was published in July 1987) is a comprehensive manual that, for the first time, provides information on how to compute intakes from both in vivo and in vitro bioassay measurements and contains tables for the interpretatiovcf bionTiay results, in terms of intake, for several hundred nuclides. This manual conforr.s to the positions in existing regulatory guides,, and the computed intake retention fractions in the report have been verified by cosparison with results generated by other computer models using the same set of assumptions (REMEDY andD05EDAY/DOSEYR). The use of this report, with its straightforward method-clogy, could help licensees avoid the difficulties associated with the use of the methodology in ICRP Publication 2.

The NRC plans to issue, for comment, a draf t regulatory guide that would endorse the BNL report for use in assessing intakes of radioactive material from the results of bicassay measurteents.

In the interim, use of this report for the interpretation of bioassay measurements is consistent with the regula-tory positions in existing regulatory guides on bioassay; therefore, the report may be used for this purpose. Of course, the limits on intake given in 20 CFR 20.103 and based on ICRP Publication 2 continue to apply until they are changed in a revision of 10 CFR Part 20.

Furthermore, to the extent it is applicable, ICRP Publication 2 may continue to be used for assessing intakes of l

radioactive material for cosparison with the intake limits of 10 CFR Part 20.

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IN 88-XX.

June xx, 1988 Page 3 of 3

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No spectific action or written response is required by this information notice.

If you have any questions about this matter please contact the regional administrator of the appropriate regional office or this office.

Cnarles E. Rossi Director Division of Operational Events Assesssent Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

, John D. BucAanart Technical Contacts: N, NRR

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J Reference _s (1) IE Information Notice 82-18, ' Assessment of Je'.akes of Radioactive Material t

by Vorkers,* June il,1982, (2) " Report of Comittee !! on permissible Dose for Internal Radiation,'

Recomendations of the International Cossnission on Radiological Protection,

-ICRP Publication 2, 1959.

(3)

• Report of Connittee IV on Evaluation of Radiation Doses in Body Tissues fron Internal Contamination due to Occupational Exposure,' Recossendations of the International Consission on Radiological Protection ICRP Pub'Jication 10,1968.

(4) 'The Assessment of Internal Contesinetion Resulting fron' Recurrent or Proilonged Uptakes; A Report of ICRP Cossnittee 4,' Recomendations of the International Commission on Radiological-Protection. ICRP Publication 10A, 1969.

(5) Edward T. Lessard, Xia Yihua, Kenneth W. Skrable, et al.,)' Interpretation of Bioassay Measurements,' NUREG/CR-4884 (8NL-NUREG-52063, July 1987.-

Attac unent: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices P

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